Today we’d like to introduce you to Phuong Mai.
Hi Phuong, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My name is Phuong Mai.
This is a story about how a happy home became a structured home, and then a broken home.
I was a good kid.
Good grades.
Never missed school.
Then things changed.
I went from being a normal kid…
to a quiet, sensitive kid…
to a gang member and drug dealer.
Life was good—until my mom cheated.
That single moment shattered our family.
I grew up in a small country town in Garden City, Kansas. Life was simple. Kids played outside. No worries. My dad worked. My mom stayed home. Later, she wanted more out of life, so she volunteered at school and even tried going back to school herself. Things were stable. Things were good.
Then everything fell apart.
In the early 1990s, we were sent to Texas to live with my aunt in Arlington. At first, it was a nice suburban neighborhood. They tried raising us Catholic for a season. But when my mom moved in, tension grew. It didn’t work out. We moved again.
This time—to the hood.
Section 8 housing.
Gangs.
Drug dealers.
Crackheads.
Fights.
Gunshots.
Everything you see in the movies—that was real life.
We had never been exposed to this kind of environment. Never seen it. Never lived it. It was terrifying.
I am a first-generation Vietnamese American, born in the United States. My parents came here during the Vietnam War. Being Asian in the hood meant constant racism, jokes, and mockery.
In Asian families, love often isn’t expressed through words, affection, or connection. Parents provide food, shelter, and clothing—and believe that should be enough. But kids need more than that. We need love. Guidance. Relationship.
There were times we didn’t even have clothes to wear or food to eat.
Tough times. Very tough times.
No love.
No guidance.
No affection.
So I started looking for it somewhere else.
Slowly, I became what surrounded me—gangs, drugs, fighting, skipping school. I became someone I was never meant to be, just trying to fill a void inside my heart.
That lifestyle followed me from junior high all the way into my early twenties.
At around 21 years old, I caught my first felony.
Me and a homie shot at a drug dealer—point blank.
We shot him.
Point blank.
And he didn’t get hit.
To this day, I still say—how?
God.
That moment shook me.
That was when I knew:
God is real.
That was the moment my journey truly began.
God/Jesus Christ
To be continued…….
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It definitely has not been a smooth road but the bumps n cracks mad me into the man I am now and these trials I seen God was with me Jesus is my Lord n Savior.He is the answer to it all.
I found purpose in him.
I found true love through him.
I found peace in Christ Jesus.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
When God transforms your life. You ain’t got no other choice but to go out there and share it.
We started this non profit 501c3 in 2022.
To out there into the community and show the love to all that’s in needing love n support. We get this love from the source of love which is Jesus Christ.
What are your plans for the future?
Plans for the future for us is we want to go out there and do more events for the community.We have are monthly event for the homeless community once a month in downtown Arlington.We have had events for the youth n the low income community.We would love to through more events n come to where ever thats needed n everywhere is needed. The places people don’t want to go n also to the nice rich areas n just show them that they are loved as well. And there is hope. There is love people n joy n purpose.We need financial support n volunteer support.These are what is holding us back from doing so much more to help the community.
Please pray for us if you can’t help financially, food donations,volunteers.
Thanks much.
Pricing:
- 10,000 a month for team leaders.
- New van to pick up people for church n class.Events transportation.
- 5,000 for food ,gas,bills,office space.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://SpreadtheLoveMinistry.org
- Instagram: Spreadtheloveministry21
- Facebook: Spreadtheloveministry
- Other: Tictok./Spreadtheloveministry2112
